Martin Schongauer was the son of the goldsmith Caspar Schongauer, a citizen of Colmar. He matriculated at Leipzig University in 1465. He is recorded as living in Colmar in 1469 and later. His most famous painting is 'The Madonna of the Rose Bower' (Colmar, St Martin's), which is dated 1473 on the back. By summer 1489 he was living in Breisach, where he painted frescoes in the cathedral.
Schongauer was principally famous as an engraver. His engravings are identifiable as they are initialled.
Martin Schongauer
active 1469; died 1491
Paintings by Martin Schongauer
Style of Martin Schongauer
In this small painting, the Virgin Mary and infant Christ are seated in an enclosed garden (known in Latin as a hortus conclusus, it traditionally symbolised Mary’s virginity). She holds out a flower to her son – a ‘pink’, also known as a dianthus (meaning ‘flower of God’ in Latin). It was often...
Not on display
German, after Martin Schongauer
Christ’s dead body is lowered gently into his tomb. Mary Magdalene and two other women mourn him; Saint John the Evangelist, who was present at the Crucifixion, kneels beside the Virgin Mary, his back to the viewer. The other men are Joseph of Arimathea, who offered his family tomb for the burial...
Not on display